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The high plateaus of
Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela are home to the only pitcher
plants of South America. These flat-topped mountains,
known as tepuis, rise thousands of feet above the warm
savannas and forests of the land below. The intense
sunlight is tempered by extreme rainfall and cool mists.
Frequent pounding rains wash away topsoil and the plants
must anchor themselves in debris-filled rocky cracks
and hollows. Daytime temperatures on the plateaus average
between 8 to 20 Celsius (46 - 68 F) with nighttime lows
of 5 - 10 C (40 - 50 F).
In cultivation, simulating the tepuis environment can be
challenging, due to the difficulty of simultaneously
providing intense light, cool daytime temperatures and
high humidity. Fortunately, Sun Pitchers have proven
to be adaptable to less than optimum conditions and
many growers are successfully cultivating the plants
in terrariums or cool greenhouses. Live sphagnum moss
or other long fibre mosses are suitable media.
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